Board Offers, Hears Ideas on Redistricting

Responding to continuous attacks by some of her constituents, Ventura County Supervisor Judy Mikels said Tuesday she would consider giving up the eastern portion of the Las Posas Valley under a plan that would reconfigure each of the five supervisors’ voting districts.

Somis residents, who lashed out against Mikels during a presentation on redistricting, have long criticized her, saying that she does not represent their agricultural interests and that she supports an expansion of California 118 that would cut through their rural community.

“We need somebody who will listen to us,” Glenn Burow told board members. “Nobody’s listening. We are not being represented.”

Mikels would not commit to the proposed change, but said she would consider giving up a portion of the Las Posas Valley if she could keep some agricultural land and consolidate mining operations in the Grimes Canyon area into her new district.

According to Mikels’ plan, the eastern portion of the valley area would be under Supervisor Kathy Long’s jurisdiction, with the dividing line at Balcom Canyon rather than Grimes Canyon. Long’s Camarillo-based district also includes the agriculturally rich Santa Clara Valley.

Somis residents said they think Long would be more sensitive to their rural lifestyle. Local activist Barbara Kerkhoff said: “Supervisor Mikels may love the geography and topography of the district, but her behavior over the last few years shows that she does not even like most of its people.”

After the meeting, however, Kerkhoff said she was pleased that Mikels is showing signs of compromise.

“We saw a shift in [Mikels’] attitude today,” she said.

The debate over Mikels’ jurisdiction came as supervisors mulled over options for carving up their voting districts. The board must adjust boundaries each decade to accommodate population shifts.

Census data from 2000 show about 10,000 too many residents in Supervisor John Flynn’s Oxnard-based district and about 10,000 too few in Supervisor Steve Bennett’s Ventura-based district. The county has a population of 753,000, meaning that each district should have about 151,000 residents.

During the board meeting, supervisors narrowed the redistricting possibilities by eliminating two of five proposals. They also reluctantly delved into the politically touchy debate about which neighborhoods would be moved into which districts.

Some supervisors said they would support unifying Thousand Oaks into Supervisor Frank Schillo’s district, which would require moving Port Hueneme into Long’s jurisdiction.

But Schillo said he preferred not to give up Port Hueneme, home to the Seabee base. He advocates keeping Thousand Oaks split into two districts, arguing that a city that has two supervisors has better representation.

During Tuesday’s board meeting, constituents and activists questioned the board’s motives over some of the proposed adjustments and also made suggestions.

Taxpayer advocate Jere Robings, who supports uniting Thousand Oaks, criticized the supervisors for putting their reelection concerns above citizens’ interests in pushing for certain plans.

Karl Lawson, head of a citizens task force on redistricting, urged the supervisors to consider where people shop and go to school.